Q&A: "I'm opening a new hair salon. How can I build my clientele?"

This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.

[Music]

Today we're gonna hear from a hairstylist who is leaving her job to start her own salon. She's been working at another salon and now she's like, "I'm gonna go out on my own." So congratulations, that's really exciting. What are some simple things she can do to kickstart her client list? And this applies to any service provider, really. If you're gonna start a service business, especially the kind of business that people come to in a retail shop, in a city, perhaps, it can apply in other ways as well, but we'll focus on that.

And over time, you hope to serve lots of repeat customers. That's gonna be the only secret to your success. That's not a big secret, of course, but what's the method to getting that? Like, how do we make that happen? How can she get these repeat customers who come back over time, in addition to any walk-ins or one-offs and so on?

What are some simple things a service provider can do to kickstart that client list? That's our question, that's our goal. I'm gonna do my best to give some helpful tips here in a short action-packed episode. Detailed question from Laura and my answer coming right up. [Music]

Hey, Chris, this is Laura, and I recently found your show after my sister recommended it.

I've been a hairstylist for a national chain for the past two years. Now I'm ready to strike out on my own and open my shop. I've found a good space in town about 15 miles away, so it's close, but it's also new to me in some ways. What's the best way to build a clientele for a service like this? And as quickly and effectively as possible.

Looking forward to hearing from you. [Music]

Okay, so when you move to a new town, especially for a service business like hairstyling, your goal is to build trust quickly. Like, people don't know you yet, they've already got a current solution for their hair salon needs, at least a lot of them do. So you need to borrow trust from the people in places they already rely on. And let's talk about what that looks like.

I think first thing is don't underestimate your existing clients. Like, even though it's 15 miles away, some will follow you, especially your best ones if they've been coming for a long time, if they're really happy. So don't assume they're not gonna go. As long as you are able to communicate with them, hey, what's happening and where you're going to, let them know that, make rebooking easy, probably you're gonna have a new booking system or platform. So try to make it as easy as possible.

Maybe even give them a small perk, like a founding client perk. Even if they don't end up making the transition to you, they might be able to refer a friend who lives closer to your new place. Next, plug yourself into the local community right away. For hairstylists, this is more important than ads. It doesn't have to cost a lot.

I would get some postcards printed, perhaps walk around, meet the neighboring businesses, coffee shops, et cetera, cafes, try to leave these cards or QR code flyer or something at a cafe, boutique, gym and so on. You might even offer some of the staff like a complimentary cut or style if you're able to do that. It's like, again, you really wanna build relationships that will help for referral. I'll come back to referral again. On the marketing side, keep it simple and geo-specific, post your work on Instagram, tag the town, follow local accounts.

You're not trying to be an influencer here, you just wanna make your presence known. So a few well-placed interactions go a long way, especially if it is a smaller market. Create one really good intro offer, not a huge discount, but something that feels like a welcome package. Maybe it's like a three-visit starter bundle or just a signature cut plus conditioning, whatever it is for you, you know better than me. People respond well to something that feels like a curated experience.

And then I mentioned referrals. I would identify a dozen people, maybe 15 to 20 even, people in town who are connected, fitness instructors, baristas, teachers, anybody who's talking to lots of people. Give them a great first appointment and a couple of referral cards. A new stylist can sometimes book, can fill a book surprisingly fast through a handful of well-connected clients. And then the last thing is just to focus on retention from day one.

Even if you're not getting a ton of clients every day, at the end of every appointment, try to offer the next couple of potential dates, try to get them to confirm. Most stylists grow fastest, not by getting more new clients, but by turning first-time clients into regulars. As I said, that's the only secret. It's not a secret, but there is a method to it. So if you combine these pieces with trying to bring your existing clients over, trying to reach out in a local area, having a clear intro package, and then focusing on referrals and rebooking, that is the way.

So congratulations once again. It's a little bit scary to go out on your own, of course, but hopefully it's exciting too. Let us know how it goes. Listeners, let me know what you're up to, what you're working on, what's going well, what's not. sidehustleschool.com.

You can send a question in there. You can access notes pages for all the episodes. I'm also on social media most days, at least, either under my name, Chris Guillebeau, or 193 countries on Instagram. I'm excited to feature more updates from listeners throughout the year as they launch and grow their projects. Thanks so much for being out there.

My name's Chris Guillebeau. You are listening to "Side Hustle School." [Music]

From the Onward Project.